A prevalent type of physical interface to a telephony system is an RJ 11 port. The RJ 11 port is the common opening into which an RJ11 connector from a telephone is input. Many devices used in the telephony industry include numerous RJ11 ports and connectors.
The RJ 11 ports and connectors are utilized both to connect to the telephony systems and to connect to telephony end user equipment. As a simple example, consider a fax machine that has an additional port to which a telephone may be connected. The fax machine will typically include two RJ 11 ports, one for connecting the fax to the telephone network, and one for connecting a telephone to the fax machine if desired. In more complex equipment, there may be a large number of RJ 11 ports for connecting to end user equipment, and a large number of ports for connecting to the telephone network.
Depending upon the configuration and requirements of any particular system, it is possible that all of the RJ 11 ports for connecting to the telephone network are used up, while there are available RJ 11 connectors for connection to end user equipment. Additionally, it is possible, in consumer equipment such as personal computers, that the end user simply plugs the wrong wires into the RJ ports, connecting an end user equipment to the port that is supposed to be connected with the telephone network.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for a more flexible and error free technique of utilizing RJ 11 ports in telephony system equipment.